That threat can be diminished three ways: by military action, by compromise by Iran’s regime, or by a new, less bellicose government taking power in Tehran. The first two appear unlikely, but the third, at least since protests broke out last June after the presidential election, seems more and more realistic. Yet so far the United States and its allies have shrunk from seriously encouraging that third way. via online.wsj.com

the WSJ article seems to think military action is unlikely. A terrorist state is building a bomb and they see military action as unlikely? unlikely because we are idiots maybe.

propaganda through advanced technology is always a great idea. in fact the Iranians have been doing it to us all decade through the likes of a relationship through Robert Scoble @Scobleizer and his social media scene on twitter and friendfeed, who while disloyal to the Iranian regime is very loyal to the Green Revolution and strangely PressTV

here is their blue print:

Such a policy would have four separate tasks:

• Provide moral and educational support for the Green Revolution. Here third parties, rather than the U.S. government, should play the main role. Dissidents should be reminded that others have succeeded on the same path they are travelling.

We should, for instance, publicize reports on what worked in Ukraine or Georgia, spread testimony by leaders like the Czech Republic’s Vaclav Havel, and distribute, in Farsi, guides to nonviolent change like Gene Sharp’s “From Dictatorship to Democracy” and Peter Ackerman’s “A Force More Powerful.” It’s time to dub into Farsi documentaries on the fall of Ceausescu, Milosevic and Pinochet; the transitions in South Africa and Poland; and the achievements of the U.S. civil-rights movement.

• Tighten sanctions on the Iranian economy and publicize the connection between regime belligerence and economic malaise. Despite Iran’s oil wealth, the economy has for years been in miserable shape thanks to bad management, corruption and the squandering of funds on Arab terrorist groups and the nuclear program. The slogans of the protestors demonstrate that they are connecting the dots between the regime’s foreign policy and economic privation.

• Do all we can to increase communications within Iran, as well as between Iran and the outside world. Opposition movements succeed through sharing and disseminating information. Broadcasting by the taxpayer-funded Radio Farda and Voice of America satellite TV should be ramped up, and we should encourage the U.K. to do the same with the BBC. We also should vigorously protest attempts by Iran to jam broadcast signals in defiance of international law, back private media—from satellite TV pitched at young people to cell-phone messaging to social networking—and help Iranians get the technology to overcome regime attempts to block and censor.

• Finally, we should refute, in campaign style, the four key propositions of Iranian propaganda. These are that the reformers are unrepresentative and unpatriotic; that the U.S. is in decline and wants to cut a deal with Iran and extricate itself from the Middle East; that Iran’s nuclear program will advance the country technologically; and that international opposition to the program is a Western plot to keep Iran, as a Muslim nation, poor and backward.

Of course, to do this, the Obama administration would first have to decide that it wishes to get rid of the Ahmadinejad regime. So far, it has been more interested in propping up that regime through ‘engagement.’

That threat can be diminished three ways: by military action, by compromise by Iran’s regime, or by a new, less bellicose government taking power in Tehran. The first two appear unlikely, but the third, at least since protests broke out last June after the presidential election, seems more and more realistic. Yet so far the United States and its allies have shrunk from seriously encouraging that third way. via online.wsj.com

the WSJ article seems to think military action is unlikely. A terrorist state is building a bomb and they see military action as unlikely? unlikely because we are idiots maybe. Propaganda through advanced technology is always a great idea. in fact the Iranians have been doing it to us all decade through the likes of a relationship through Robert Scoble @Scobleizer and his social media scene on twitter and friendfeed, who while disloyal to the Iranian regime is very loyal to the Green Revolution and strangely PressTVhere is their blue print:

Such a policy would have four separate tasks:• Provide moral and educational support for the Green Revolution. Here third parties, rather than the U.S. government, should play the main role. Dissidents should be reminded that others have succeeded on the same path they are travelling.We should, for instance, publicize reports on what worked in Ukraine or Georgia, spread testimony by leaders like the Czech Republic’s Vaclav Havel, and distribute, in Farsi, guides to nonviolent change like Gene Sharp’s “From Dictatorship to Democracy” and Peter Ackerman’s “A Force More Powerful.” It’s time to dub into Farsi documentaries on the fall of Ceausescu, Milosevic and Pinochet; the transitions in South Africa and Poland; and the achievements of the U.S. civil-rights movement.• Tighten sanctions on the Iranian economy and publicize the connection between regime belligerence and economic malaise. Despite Iran’s oil wealth, the economy has for years been in miserable shape thanks to bad management, corruption and the squandering of funds on Arab terrorist groups and the nuclear program. The slogans of the protestors demonstrate that they are connecting the dots between the regime’s foreign policy and economic privation.• Do all we can to increase communications within Iran, as well as between Iran and the outside world. Opposition movements succeed through sharing and disseminating information. Broadcasting by the taxpayer-funded Radio Farda and Voice of America satellite TV should be ramped up, and we should encourage the U.K. to do the same with the BBC. We also should vigorously protest attempts by Iran to jam broadcast signals in defiance of international law, back private media—from satellite TV pitched at young people to cell-phone messaging to social networking—and help Iranians get the technology to overcome regime attempts to block and censor.• Finally, we should refute, in campaign style, the four key propositions of Iranian propaganda. These are that the reformers are unrepresentative and unpatriotic; that the U.S. is in decline and wants to cut a deal with Iran and extricate itself from the Middle East; that Iran’s nuclear program will advance the country technologically; and that international opposition to the program is a Western plot to keep Iran, as a Muslim nation, poor and backward.

Of course, to do this, the Obama administration would first have to decide that it wishes to get rid of the Ahmadinejad regime. So far, it has been more interested in propping up that regime through ‘engagement.’

it is kind of sad that the people that social networks like friendfeed and twitter push like Robert Scoble (and his associates) is soliciting such hate around them. People need to start reacting to Scoble’s politics before it is too late.

the logic of equivalence always seems to fail: that is comparing two unalike factors. I think it can be categorized as a tautological argument. the statement is repeated and the meaning is lost based on a variable that has no relevance to the original statement's content.

I’m all fine withe the right wing profit capitalism kind of stuff, but I have seen two promising things this year that broke my heart. One was the 2007 Mets. The other facebook. I got thrown off for the same reasons as Scoble… I know that it was a lie and I got kicked off for etiquette. The administration knew that etiquite was a slippery slope… so they threw information abuse at me. Now Scoble has made our contact information just as arbitrary. Regardless facebook is a government. And any government that runs on “DISCRETION” like the facebook “Terms” is bull dinky. The appeals system is unconstitutional… but being that facebook doesn’t have one it is almost pointless to say that. I want to stand accountable for my actions. ZuckerTurd and Scoble showed me that it is a very elitist party. Can you believe that Scoble sent out an antiwar message from his protest facebook group? I don’t care where you stand on the political spectrum… Iraq has nothing to do with Scoble getting special privileges. The Leftist pied piper strikes again and sells us the tyranny of a double standard. facebook is A BLUE STATE too!

I’m all fine withe the right wing profit capitalism kind of stuff, but I have seen two promising things this year that broke my heart. One was the 2007 Mets. The other facebook. I got thrown off for the same reasons as Scoble… I know that it was a lie and I got kicked off for etiquette. The administration knew that etiquite was a slippery slope… so they threw information abuse at me. Now Scoble has made our contact information just as arbitrary. Regardless facebook is a government. And any government that runs on “DISCRETION” like the facebook “Terms” is bull dinky. The appeals system is unconstitutional… but being that facebook doesn’t have one it is almost pointless to say that. I want to stand accountable for my actions. ZuckerTurd and Scoble showed me that it is a very elitist party. Can you believe that Scoble sent out an antiwar message from his protest facebook group? I don’t care where you stand on the political spectrum… Iraq has nothing to do with Scoble getting special privileges. The Leftist pied piper strikes again and sells us the tyranny of a double standard. facebook is A BLUE STATE too!